THE WHAT? Target has announced the opening of its most sustainable store to date. The site will generate more renewable energy than it needs to operate and will test multiple innovations to reduce the building’s emissions.

THE DETAILS Indeed, The Vista, California store’s retrofit and new features will inform Target’s investments in new stores and remodel programs that support its long-term growth and help guide the retailer’s efforts to achieve its sustainability goals.

The store boasts some 3,420 solar panels across its roof and newly installed carport canopies, and is expected to produce up to a 10 percent energy surplus each year that it can transmit back to the local power grid. The building will power its HVAC heating through rooftop solar panels, instead of natural gas to further drive down emissions. Additionally, the store switched to carbon dioxide refrigeration, a natural refrigerant, that Target will scale chain-wide by 2040 to reduce its direct operations’ emissions by 20 percent.

The US retailer has applied for net zero energy certification from the International Living Future Institute. THE WHY? John Conlin, Senior Vice President of Properties, Target, reveals, “We’ve been working for years at Target to shift toward sourcing more renewable energy and further reducing our carbon footprint, and our Vista store’s retrofit is the next step in our sustainability journey and a glimpse of the future we’re working toward. Our new stores and remodel programs are designed to help achieve our sustainability goals as we test, learn and scale our innovations over time across our operations.”